


You’ve got a deal, Byers

by overtheanvilwestretch



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: Childhood Friends, Coming Out, F/M, Feel-good, M/M, One Shot, Platonic Relationships, Relationship Advice, Senior year, college decisions
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-03
Updated: 2018-01-03
Packaged: 2019-02-27 14:59:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,287
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13250667
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/overtheanvilwestretch/pseuds/overtheanvilwestretch
Summary: Lucas and Will have a habit of trading (but not heeding) relationship advice. But as the end of high school approaches, they make a deal to follow it this time around. One shot.





	You’ve got a deal, Byers

**Author's Note:**

> I love these two and their friendship (even though we don’t get to see nearly enough of it imo), so I wrote about it! This is a one shot set a few months before “promises we make in the dark”.

“You talked to Max lately?” Will slid the styrofoam dish full of fries across the table to Lucas and raised one eyebrow in question. He knew the answer but thought it might be good for his friend to say it aloud.

Lucas grabbed a fry and popped it into his mouth. He hated the fries in the cafeteria. They were always dry as fuck.

“No I haven’t spoken to her lately. She won’t answer my calls. I think it’s really over this time.” He sunk down in his seat and frowned. They had had some arguments before, what couple hadn’t? But this time something was different.

The two of them had the table to themselves today, as the rest of the group was busy elsewhere. Dustin had to make weight for his wrestling meet that night, so he was doing laps in the gym. Mike and El had an AP Chem exam the following period, so they were in the lab studying furiously. And Max, well Max was pissed at Lucas (as per usual) and had decided to eat lunch in the theatre wing.

“I mean, I don’t know much about relationships, but I think it might be worth it just to apologize?”

Lucas huffed and sunk down lower, which Will didn’t even think was possible.

“You don’t get it, man. You’re kinda lucky you’re into dudes. See: guys, we communicate differently. Girls, you never know what the problem is.”

Maybe he didn’t know much about girls as far as dating them was concerned (his experience with the opposite sex had begun and ended with a two month “relationship” with Lily Anderson during their sophomore year), but he knew quite a bit about desire. About holding your cards close to your chest, and never being entirely emotionally honest. He knew that the person you love not quite understanding where you stood with them was miserable.

“Trust me,” Will mumbled and took a bite out of his apple, “liking guys is no walk in the park.”

Lucas realized what he had implied and sat up, walking back his previous comment, “Sorry man, that’s not what I meant. I know this dating shit is especially bogus for you.” He looked around quickly and lowered his voice, “Speaking of which, are you going to tell him?”

“You know I can’t. Not when he hasn’t decided on Brown yet. I won’t be the thing that keeps him here.” Will shook his head solemnly. He half expected to feel his hair shift against his forehead, but remembered that he recently cut it. Or rather, went and got it cut. His first professional haircut ever.

He wanted to finish the second semester of his senior year with a different look, something that set him up to be a different version of himself once he walked across that graduation stage.

“Dude! You have to be honest with him. That’s the first rule of the party, right? Friends don’t lie?”

 _Guy friends also don’t fall in love with other male members of the party_ , he thought bitterly but didn’t say.

Will had mostly come to terms with his sexuality since coming out two years ago. After his failed relationship with Lily, it was clear to him that something was different. That, compounded with the fluttering feeling he’d begun getting every time Mike put an arm around his shoulder or scooted his chair closer to him during game nights with the whole squad illuminated the fact that Will Byers was most definitely not interested in girls.

He was interested in his best friend.

There was no Big Coming Out speech. No preparation. It just sort of happened one day while everyone was over at Mike’s house watching the “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off” VHS Max had picked up from her job at the video store.

“I would so date Matthew Broderick,” El remarked while Ferris cruised down the street in the parade scene.

Mike and El had split amicably a few months prior, but he still pretended to be offended. She threw a piece of popcorn at the side of his head and giggled.

“I second that motion,” Max added.

And before Will thought better of it, he said, “I don’t know. I think I like the guy who plays Cameron a little more.”

Lucas jumped right in before anyone even had a chance to consider the implications of that statement, “I bet you would like that lanky goof. I could see you with that type for sure.”

It was so natural, it almost felt like it couldn’t have been real. After a beat, Dustin laughed about Will having a definite “aesthetic” and El and Max argued that the actor behind Ferris was obviously the superior candidate, though they could definitely see the attraction. And that was it. Everyone pressed forward just as light and nonchalant as they’d been all night.

The only one who didn’t speak was Mike.

There were no further questions about Will’s sexuality after the “sort of coming out”- not that there ever had been, really. The group was always content to just leave things be until the time came. And the next day at school things were largely the same as they’d always been.

But Will never forgot how seamlessly Lucas supported him in that moment, how he normalized Will’s interest in the same sex before anyone had a chance to think or say otherwise. Since then, he’d been Will’s number one confidant in Hawkins, as far as his love life was concerned.

“Lucas, I’m not lying. I’m just... not telling. At least not now. I’m trying to think about what’s best for everyone right now, and me confessing my undying affection for him is definitely not the best.”

Everyone had made their decisions about college except for Mike.

Lucas had been offered a full ride academic scholarship to Notre Dame, Dustin a wrestling recruit for Wabash. El was following in Nancy’s footsteps and going to Northwestern and Max was going to study Game Design at Bloomington. And Will had decided months ago that he would be moving to Chicago to go to art school. Everyone had their futures set by spring break, minus Mike.

The entire process of getting Mike to apply to schools away from Indiana had been a struggle. He didn’t feel comfortable going too far away from Holly in the wake of his parents’ recent divorce, didn’t know if he’d be able to afford it, didn’t know what he wanted to study, etc. The list went on and on. But Will could see it for what it was: fear.

He had taken the leap of faith and decided to apply to an Ivy League school, per Will’s not-so-gentle nudging, on the day that Brown’s early decision application was due. Will knew that his best friend could do it. Knew he could get far, far away from Hawkins and have an incredible education to show for it. And so when he finally got his acceptance letter to Brown, it was no shock to anyone but Mike.

Now though, another deadline was approaching, the deposit for his room and board, and he was hesitating about sending it in.

Lucas rolled his eyes and extended his pinky to his friend, “How about this? You promise me you’ll make a move by December of this year. No matter where the two of you end up going to school.”

“Only if you promise me you’ll make things right with Max and tell her that you love her already. You know that’s all she wants to hear, right?”

Lucas smiled a little and it still looked like it did when he was 12, a little mischievous, but unbelievably honest.

“You’ve got a deal, Byers.”

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you enjoyed this little moment between these two! You can find me on Tumblr at usingallyourlighters. Come and talk to me (and feel free to drop me a prompt or two) :)


End file.
